A companion site to my narrativeblog, concentrating on film and television narratives

Daria as character prototype: 5 characters who owe their existence to her | Andrew Daglas

☞ Characters do not arise out of thin air of course, nor are they merely an imitation of real persons. One of the major sources of characterisation and character formation is other characters. On popular media, such as cinema and television, major characters in some well-known movies or television serials may have an influence on subsequent characters. This article convincingly argues that the main character of the MTV serial Daria does have an influence on important female characters in subsequent television serials, such as the main characters of Parks and Recreation, Suburgatory, Awkward, Community and Girls. What is also interesting about the claim is the influence that a character from an animated serial has on characters in live-action serials.

“If only Daria Morgendorffer could see the world she wrought.

It’s been a decade since the Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn animated series went off the air, but the impact of its eponymous heroine and her deadpan journey through life in the suburbs is still felt. Some of the sharpest female protagonists on television right now can trace their identity, at least partially, to the central figure of MTV’s teen comedy “Daria,” which ran for five season and two TV movies, the second of which, “Is It College Yet?,” found Daria bidding farewell to the high school life she found so trying. While her contemporary, Tony Soprano, spawned a legion of tortured male antiheroes, Daria pulled off a feat less discussed but all the more difficult — she made the world a little safer for brainy, independent, socially maladroit young women everywhere. Here’s a look at a few current TV characters who, but for this turn-of-the-millennium heroine, might not exist.”